Project Intensity Goals & Accomplishments
The goal of this project was to develop carefully designed texts and application lessons to provide students with low IQs (a) focused opportunities to develop listening and reading comprehension, (b) additional cumulative review of key skills, and (c) explicit instruction in the transfer and application of skills to text specifically selected or designed text that addresses multiple criteria hypothesized to be critical for students with ID.
What does that mean?
We developed a comprehensive, intensive reading instruction curriculum (now called Friends on the Block www.friendsontheblock.com) that can be delivered in addition to the reading intervention provided by the classroom teacher, reading specialist, or special education teacher.
Lessons consist of:
- Books with story reading activities
- Instructional activities that are done with the teacher 2-3 times per week
- Reinforcement activities that are done with a tutor 2-3 times per week
- Additional activities that can be done with a tutor or at home to extend learning
What makes this special?
- Our books and lessons are carefully designed to provide students with extended practice with a limited number of skills at a time, allowing students to have extensive practice with skills before adding additional skills.
- For beginning readers, books include Helper Text and Student Text to make the books more engaging. The books are read collaboratively with the teacher/tutor and the student.
- The word and letter-sound sequence is based on meaningfulness, as well as high frequency and decodability.
- Picture words are included in books to allow for more natural language and engaging story lines. When words are used that have not yet been taught to the student, a picture is placed under the word. This allows the child to read the word without having to decode or recognize the word.
- The authors pulled from years of experience conducting research with struggling readers and students with intellectual disabilities.
-The materials were developed with feedback from actual students and teachers who used them, allowing for feedback to influence the creation and modification of the materials.
What does that mean?
We developed a comprehensive, intensive reading instruction curriculum (now called Friends on the Block www.friendsontheblock.com) that can be delivered in addition to the reading intervention provided by the classroom teacher, reading specialist, or special education teacher.
Lessons consist of:
- Books with story reading activities
- Instructional activities that are done with the teacher 2-3 times per week
- Reinforcement activities that are done with a tutor 2-3 times per week
- Additional activities that can be done with a tutor or at home to extend learning
What makes this special?
- Our books and lessons are carefully designed to provide students with extended practice with a limited number of skills at a time, allowing students to have extensive practice with skills before adding additional skills.
- For beginning readers, books include Helper Text and Student Text to make the books more engaging. The books are read collaboratively with the teacher/tutor and the student.
- The word and letter-sound sequence is based on meaningfulness, as well as high frequency and decodability.
- Picture words are included in books to allow for more natural language and engaging story lines. When words are used that have not yet been taught to the student, a picture is placed under the word. This allows the child to read the word without having to decode or recognize the word.
- The authors pulled from years of experience conducting research with struggling readers and students with intellectual disabilities.
-The materials were developed with feedback from actual students and teachers who used them, allowing for feedback to influence the creation and modification of the materials.